Tararua District Council

Halt asset sell-offs so community groups have access first and if sold ensure sales at top dollar of true market values.

Halt millions of dollars to be spent on water meters via lobbying government on alternative ratings to save on debt immediately.

Review the books as much as time permits as a councillor and reduce contract costs as the private sector would.

Freeze residential rates, shift burden to commercial and offer rebates for low-income and elderly to ease cost pressures.

Limit borrowing to essentials, set annual debt-reduction targets and refinance to cut interest costs and ease fiscal pressure.

Publish quarterly financial reports in plain language online, cap annual spending and review all council contracts to find savings and cut waste.

Ensure the finance and risk audit committee asks the right questions and gets clarity from staff on how finances are doing.

Query the level of any new debt and ask if other alternatives exist for problem solving new capital expenditure needs.

See how far council spending goes once an indication of grants, subsidies and estimated other revenue is known and then work out expenses.

Conduct an independent review of spending to identify savings and redirect funds to priority services.

Partner with neighbouring councils to share specialised staff, bulk purchasing and resources where feasible.

Require departments to justify all spending annually, preventing unnecessary carry-over expenses.